Swapping rooms

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So this is my first ever thread on here . I dont know if i have posted in the right place , i do apologise if this is the case. Any hoo . I live in a 2 bedroom flat with my husband and our two children. My eldest is 8 and youngest is 2 . Our flat is housing/council. And due to unfortunate circumstances we wouldnt be able to move due to rent arrears (which is being paid of).Son has hes own room but it isnt big enough for 2 children. (Just fits bed and 1 small wardrobe in) . Our room which we share with our youngest is a good size but our living room is massive . I was thinking of changing rooms with my bedroom and the living room. Swapping them both so bedroom would be the living room and vise versa . I spoke to my husband and he was like yeah great more diy to be done lol. But i wanted some advise and see if anyone else has done this swap before ? . With doing the swap the pros out weight the cons . My youngest will have more space and i could make it as a bedroom for her as well as us ,so she has her own space. More room for storage etc and it would suit us brilliantly until we get a bigger place (in the far future😩)
So has anyone done it . Do i sound mad ? My friends have said its a big whacky but i thinking of room etc . My bedroom would be a brilliant size for a livingroom and still be accommodating for us as a family .

Please be kind haha

Sounds like a sensible plan to me, although is your DH's real objection that he was hoping you'd be able to move your DD into your DS's room so the bedroom is just for you two? I can understand that TBH, a lot of people find it very difficult to sleep properly with a child still in the same room as them, plus all their stuff etc. But ultimately you live in a 2 bedroom flat with 2 DCs so space was always going to be at a premium!

Or are you saying you'd be putting up a partition in the biggest room to create a completely separate bedroom space for your DD? That sounds ideal if you can do it although does your tenancy agreement allow you to make substantial/structural alterations like that?

I wouldn't object at all to making the living room a smaller space, so long it's still big enough for you all to spend time in as a family I can't really see the downside, I like a cosy living/TV space anyway (less room to get cluttered!). You might have to be quite strict about toys being stored in bedrooms and tidied away at the end of the day so the living room doesn't end up feeling like a bombsite but I guess living in a (relatively) small space you are on this anyway.

If your husband's only objection is the DIY then surely the answer is just move the furniture around without doing any DIY and try it out for a month or two? If it's just a case of decoration then you can buy appropriate furnishings for the rooms without repainting etc? It's probably not a great idea to spend too much money and effort doing DIY in a flat you are ultimately planning to move out of in the medium term anyway?

Hi . Thanks for your reply
No my husband knows it wouldn't ne possible for 2 DCs to share as DS bed just about fits. So we have no problem sharing with DD until we can get a bigger home .

Wasnt planning on putting a wall up but it seems like a brilliant idea so i might look into that .

Yes my bedroom would be large enough for a living room and would make it more cosy and snug for family time etc .

Yes im a very organised person . Everything always has a place and goes back so it not over cluttered kinda OCD about stuff like that. Lol .

I was going to redecorate the living area anyway as council have just carried out some work so paint work /walls needed fixing up a bit . Master bedroom has not long been done and the decor in there is very suitable for a livingroom.

I think im going to do it . DD has to go into a big girl bed at end of the month because she constantly climbing out of cot so wanted to do the transition now but make a nice new bedroom space for her so she feels its hers aswell as ours.

I will not be spending a lot of £££ simply because we are saving to pay arrears off and also for deposit for new home .

I can only try the swap and see what we all feel like and hopefully it goes in my favour

Sounds genius to me OP.

An IKEA toddler bed would do your DD until she is 5 or so (they're a bit longer than most) and would take up a bit less space than a full sized bed.

Shouldn't be much work to swap, just move the furniture. If you are planning to move in a year or so anyway, I'd decorate neutrally (as most councils ask for neutral decor when you hand the property back) and use your bedding, cushions, curtains etc to express your style. That way you can take them with you, and won't have to paint over your nice wallpaper or colourful walls when you move
If you can't put up a stud wall to divide, how about a screen, a curtain, or using something like a big IKEA kallax shelving unit (bracketed to the wall for safety) to split the room?

Yes iv been looking at the toddler beds from Ikea. Thankyou . I was chuffed with myself when i thought of this plan

Thats a brilliant idea AwkwardPaws27 . Thankyou i will look into and see what husband says

Thankyou for advice ladies very much appreciated

I suggest you actually measure your lounge and bedroom before you work out whether the lounge could be divided. It may not be as big as you think.

If you do divide it would that mean the door to DC2's room would be from the lounge and would you have time to re-instate it if you were to find a bigger home (that is if the council allow it in the first place)?

Be careful about putting up a wall. You might be required to take it down and make good before you leave. Other than that, it sounds like a good idea. You could use a ceiling hung curtain for a partition if you really want one but think about lighting if you do this.